Cilia

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

"The United States is my alcoholic brother". An expats thoughts on his homeland and a volunteers review

It’s
a little long, but please give it a read! And if you really have some time to
kill, read the comments, which are just as informative as the article. This weeks post is a response/ reflection of the article above. Disclaimer:
I do not agree with all of what he says (I especially disagree with #5)

This is a great article that I think many Peace Corps
Volunteers and expats can sympathize with. The author is reacting to his
introspective assessment of his motherland, where he discovers that his rose
colored glasses of patriotism and “We’re number 1!” mentality were tainted by
the inundation of our own self-loving, fear mongering media. He realizes that
we have become narrow-minded because we are so isolated from outside viewpoints
(media, language, ideas). He
states “…we don’t really get perspective on
what’s close to us until we spend time away from it.”

To me, this is the real meaning of the Peace Corp’s Goal #3: To share with your
fellow Americans what you have seen and learned about the world outside of the
50 states; to bring back AND SHARE your changed perspective. Sharing the food,
dance, music and photos from vacation hot spots are great, but any tourist can
do that.

From my one-week back home last August, I was able to
glimpse the oncoming frustration of reverse-culture shock. I’m not talking
about strangers not staring at you anymore (wait, you don’t want to take a
photo with me?), or old women not giving you a bag full of bananas or avocado
just because you visited their house. I’m talking about how tough it is to get people to understand your new world view, because they haven't had the chance to step outside of the bubble themselves. Sometimes you just want to shake someone saying WHY DONT YOU APPRECIATE DRINKING FOUNTAINS AND TOILET SEATS LIKE I DO! Haha, well those examples aren't exactly my point, but they dance around the topic.

Jamie was a GREAT listener!

I don’t pretend to be a very articulate writer, but
luckily, I found other people who are! I was really impressed by the caliber of
comments that this article provoked. Here are a few comments that express some
of my issues with his opinions:

Recovering Hipster writes

“When you are a foreigner, people are either more forgiving
of your “weirdness” because they expect it, or they’re just not thinking about
how you conform to norms.

My guess is that this guy experienced the enhanced
niceness that everyone expresses to foreigners – especially toward Americans,
who have been saturating them with media and are therefore more fascinating
than other foreigners – and perceived it as a sign of their culture.

Whenever I’ve traveled abroad, I’ve noticed that I get
very, very comfortable with being a foreigner for that very reason I mentioned
above: people are more forgiving and there’s a general level of awkwardness
that’s to be expected, which has an overall dulling effect on any negative
social experience.

It’s very easy to get addicted to that position of being
a foreigner, and it’s easy to mistake that addiction for you fitting in better
in a different culture.

There’s also the fact that other people often *do* look
up to Americans, so they’re going to be at the very least interested in asking
you questions, if not super friendly. To assume that others are nicer to you
just because they’re nicer cultures is to get things a bit wrong.

If I was Peruvian, would they give me the time of day?

When I was in Brazil, everyone was pretty interested in
talking to me. At first, I thought it was because I was special. Then, I
thought it was because I was foreign. Then, I realized that it was because I
was American. They had plenty of news stories and plenty of pop culture that
they wanted to talk to me about. The same wouldn’t have been the case if I’d
been an Uruguayan.

In the end, though, I came to recognize that their
culture wasn’t inherently “nicer” or “more genuine” than mine.

In addition to all that, being a “professional traveler”
does not put a person in touch with a culture as much as they’d think. You come
to recognize how little you actually “get” a place when you go from being a
traveler in a place to being a local who can’t necessarily afford to pack up
and go on to the next place. Most places feel like a pair of open arms when
arrive as a traveler. This does not signify a more open culture as much as it
signifies the fact that you’re a traveling consumer.”

A great wake up call to the author comes from Tricia, who
wrote

“…I started reading this article without
looking at even the author’s name. Immediately I knew it was written by a
straight white male. There’s this thing called “privilege” that some people
have that makes them wholly unable to see something from a marginalized
perspective. It is quite upsetting.
I have lived abroad as well, though not as extensively as the author. I have
never been to Asia or Africa, though I’ve spent a lot of time in Latin America
and Europe. I have been sexually assaulted much more frequently (despite more
precautions taken) while abroad than in the States. Being a male has a lot to
do with your presumed levels of safety while you’re out, not to mention
comfort.

As guys, we don't have to worry about as many things and get to enjoy it all

My male roommates when I lived in Nicaragua had all sorts of fun
adventures with meeting strangers, staying out late, etc. I could not have a few
drinks at a club without someone trying RELENTLESSLY to take me home. I was
kissed, felt up, you name it, just for having the audacity to go to a club
without a man. This has happened to me in countries in Europe, Latin America,
and even here at home, but not nearly as frequently…”

Take some time to read some of the resulting discussions
posted on the article, they really make you think.

Another comment also made me curious:

“I would love to see similar articles by
folks from other countries that emigrated outside their native lands, about
their own countries. In my interactions with immigrants here in the USA, I hear
many amusing observations about their own nations. It’s a sign of humility when
you can recognize your own faults, admit that they’re silly and laugh about
them [when they don't cause significant harm]. And if there’s one thing the
global community of mankind can use, it’s less national pride, and more
humility.”

So friends, let me hear your stories! I am
really interested to hear if you have ever had a chance to look at our nation (or any other for that matter) after you have seen the way other places are run. (Please refrain from personal
attacks)

2 comments:

A few things I noticed is how anomalous America's health care situation amongst advanced countries, and how our lack of investment in infrastructure is showing compared to a lot of other countries. I came to think we're quite lucky in having a lot of space per person relative to certain countries, and a relatively dynamic economy with a lower structural unemployment. There is a certain amount of American insularity, which makes sense based on the sheer size of the country, and a certain amount of arrogance that comes from a strain of national chauvinism in the national media.

I also gained a more concrete feeling of America being "home" as compared to just the place that I happen to be from. I didn't really see myself as an "American" as much before I went abroad.

I have to agree with the comment from Tricia that you posted above - as a woman living abroad I think I'm pretty justified in being paranoid, particularly in the city, because of the way that some men (not all but enough that I've resorted to avoiding most of them) feel they can treat women. And from what I hear, it's not just women that experience inappropriate advances from men here in Peru - men looking to make an interesting foreign man as a new drinking partner can be quite forward (and physical) about their intentions. In addition, we certainly have cases of robbery (armed or unarmed - unarmed being the kind I've experienced and which is still startling) and sometimes physical assault among PCVs in Peru, either the author enjoys some protection from being a white male, or he's just been lucky not to be a victim.

In response to the first comment, I'm sure other PCVs have experienced that after a while living in the same small community not everyone is nice to you anymore. They get accustomed to your presence and start to accept you at least as a fixture in the community if not a fully fledged member - there are a lot of Peruvians in my town that are also from somewhere else and just assigned to work there that get the same kind of treatment. And because everyone is human, you don't get along 100% with everyone. For example, I walked out of a volleyball game a few days ago because my teammates were yelling at me so forcefully for not getting to the ball that I just decided it wasn't worth the stress anymore (and the yelling has been going on since the first few months I played). As another example, someone has tried to spread rumors that I specifically didn't give her part of the incentive from my project because I don't like her, not because she didn't complete the required tasks to receive the incentive. So, yes, people are polite and nice when you're just passing through, but real life isn't like that. A lot of American regions are well-known for their hospitality too, but those of us who live there know that everything is not all smiles and niceties all the time. People are people and if you stay somewhere long enough you'll always find they're not so one-dimensional.

I agree with the author though, that Americans do get caught up in material comforts to an unhealthy extreme. Granted I miss toilet seats and sinks and floors as much as the next person who used to have them and now doesn't, but I've met plenty of people who've never had these comforts and are still happy with the situation they're in. In fact I really don't feel uncomfortable or unhappy since I initially adjusted to going without all those things. I'm not going to lie, it helps that I know I'll get all that back in a fixed period of time, but I know it's not essential to being happy now.

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Disclaimer: The content of this website are mine personally and do not reflect any position of the U.S. government or the Peace Corps.

GETTING IN TOUCH

Email: David.Witte.2030@gmail.com

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Phone: 51 979 585 414

Address:

David Witte

Casillo Postal 809

Serpost Piura

Peru, South America

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TIPS FOR SAVE ARRIVAL:

Helps to use RED INK and to throw some religious sayings on it. Really, I hear it helps! Try something like "Que dios te bendiga" (May God bless you), ALL OVER the package.

About Me:

Born in Grand Rapids, MI with 4 sisters, 2 loving parents, and 1 dog named Scruffy.

I caddied for 5 years and was awarded the Chick Evans Schoarship (see Caddyshack). The full-tuition scholarship allowed me to attend the University of Michigan, live in the scholarship house, and perpetuated my desire to see the world.

In 2009, I was awarded a humanitarian-grant and helped improve the living conditions in the "villa misarias" outside of Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Inspirational quotes

"My philosophy of life is work - bringing out the secrets of nature and applying them for the happiness of man. I know of no better service to render during the short time we are in this world" - Thomas Edison

"There is nothing magical about change. It is getting up off your ass and caring enough to take the first step to contribute to change on an issue you care about" - Jody Williams

"Forge ahead with your new ideas" ~ proverb

"Daydreams may be pleasant, but accomplishments are more satisfying" ~ proverb

No one can see their reflection in running water. It is only in still water that we can see. ~ Taoist proverb

Please give me some more to add to the list!

Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you've imagined. ~ Henry David Thoreau

Go to the people,

Live among them,

Learn from them,

Love them.

Start with what they know.

Build on what they have.

But of the best leaders,

When their task is accomplished,

Their work is done,

The people remark,

"We have done it ourselves"

-Chinese Proverb

"It is important to find out exactly what makes you happy, peaks your interest and quenches your thirst for knowledge. Therefore work will not feel like a chore and success will come naturally." Sepp Holtzer

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” Mark Twain